St. Ives Mixing Bar

Bonjour, mes chéries! I’m so excited to bring you this post about my visit to St. Ives Mixing Bar pop-up store in Manhattan. I’ve been dying to make my custom product for a while now, since my skin is bored from using the same body lotions all these years. This past Wednesday, I was in the city early in the morning to hand in paperwork for my apartment, so I figured it was the skincare goddesses telling me to stop by and check it out.

For those of you who are confused as to what on earth I am rambling about, St. Ives opened a pop-up store for the summer in SoHo, a neighborhood in Manhattan. They originally were closing on July 30th, but recently extended their stay in this location till September 30th.

The bar features beautiful interior design that is warm, welcoming, and plays to the vibrant colors of all the natural ingredients used in their skincare products. Upon arrival, you see a long hallway with all the different ingredients used in their skincare products on the wall along with descriptions of their health benefits. Then, you reach the register where you obtain a list of ingredients for either a custom facial scrub or custom body lotion. My facial skin has been a little sensitive lately, so I opted for the body lotion this visit. From there, you can select a light or rich formula, one main ingredient, and a special second ingredient it pairs with. I chose a light lotion, coconut, and paired it with acai extract.

But if you’re unsure as to what scrub or lotion you would like, you can try them in the back of the bar by the sink! This let’s you play with scent and texture before committing to your own freshly made custom scrub and lotion. After you pay at the register, you bring your order slip to the actual mixing bar where they create your requested product in front of you with a Nutribullet and fresh ingredients.

Follow me into the pop-up!

There are tons of exposed brick walls and #stivesmixingbar photo spots for you to take all the pictures you want for your social media and blog! I dragged a close friend, Michelle, to the store and we took advantage of the cute sitting areas for a photo. (By the way, excuse my upper inner thighs; apparently they got FOMO and just had to make an appearance… 🙄 )

The next part of the store is where you can buy candles if you’re not interested in a custom made facial scrub or lotion. The candles are in the same scents as the custom scrubs and lotions. This area is also where the mixing bar is! If you pass it, the back wall has three sinks where you can try all the possible custom made scrubs and lotions before making your own.

After vlogging and touring the shop, I sat down and started evaluating what I wanted in my lotion. There were so many great options! I was between the Honey Fig lotion and Coconut Acai lotion, but also LOVED the Watermelon Agave facial scrub. The best part is if you’re confused as to what mixture of ingredients in your facial scrub or lotion would be the most beneficial for your skin type, the back of the order form introduces you to all the ingredients and exfoliants options and their purposes. Once my skin is a little more settled, I’ll definitely be back to try out my custom facial scrub. For now, I’m thoroughly enjoying the revitalizing and moisturizing benefits of Coconut and Acai extract. Since it’s summertime, the light formula has the perfect amount of moisture for my body.

It took a while, but I eventually made up my mind and turned in my form to the register before heading to the bar and watching the beauty consultants freshly blend my lotion. All the footage will be in my July Vlog, linked under Personal -> Videos in my top navigation bar. This page brings you to my YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe for the latest vlog and video updates as I don’t always post to let you know! If you follow me on Twitter (@bougeandrouge) or like me on Facebook, you will also be notified when I upload.

Each facial scrub and lotion comes in a 10oz jar priced at $12 (tax included). Their normal products in stores are about half the price, but are not custom created for your skin. I think that $12 for such a large and fresh product is worth it, but you must make sure to use it up within 3 months of creating it before the ingredients expire (that’s how you KNOW they’re using fresh ingredients!).

If that wasn’t fun enough for you, there’s even a mirrored room filled with apricots (or maybe it was peaches?)! You can enjoy the scent and take selfies. I was all over the place and forgot to take a peek in there myself, which I’ll never forgive myself for, but I found a photo online to show you all what it looks like a lot of butt peach emojis:

I had so much fun at the pop-up shop and will definitely be back when I move in to try a facial scrub and to take my selfie in the apricot/peach/whatever fruit room. If you’re in New York City, be sure to check out St. Ives Mixing Bar at 577 Broadway (by Broadway and Prince st. intersection)! It’s a fun and fruity experience you don’t want to miss.

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Erica Huang

Based in New York City, Erica Huang is the creator and voice behind Bouge & Rouge. This blog is a playground of her thoughts where she invites you to join her on her journey through her 20s. Erica shares her lifestyle, fashion and beauty tips, adventures, and personal thoughts with the goal of inspiring others to always persevere and be unapologetically yourself.

Meet Erica

Bonjour! Je m’appelle Erica, or E, a fiery 20-somethin’-year-old brought to you by overpriced coffee and a soft contour. I have an affinity for outlandish shoes, fresh sushi, and a good adventure.
Welcome to my playground of thoughts! Pop a bottle and enjoy the ride, mes chéries 😉